Educational and amusement device



1952 H. E. LOWE ETAL 2,581,492

EDUCATIONAL AND AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed March 28, 1950 Eveniors flewrylfbawe HaroZc fizzier Patentecl Jan. 8, 1952 EDUCATIONAL AND AMUSEMENT DEVICE Henry E. Lowe and Harold Gazier, Clearwater, Fla.; said Cazier assignor to said Lowe Application March 28, 1950, Serial No. 152,332

6 Claims.

- 1 The invention relates to a new and useful educational and entertaining article designed primarily for the use of children.

One purpose of this invention is to provide an attractive and simple device by which Children and others may be instructed and entertained.

Another object is to provide such a device that is easy and safe for children to operate.

. A further object is the provision of an entertaining device combining a wide variety of subjects and exhibits.

Other objects and features of the invention are described in the specification and illustrated in the drawings, wherein:

p Fig. 1 is a top perspective view of the device. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a spindle element of the device; I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of one end of .the spindle element and its associated parts, in operative position.

The invention may be referred to as a toy, although it possesses obvious useful features. It is constructed of wood, plastic or other suitable material and, as shown in Figure 1, is of rectangular form. It may be of any convenient size, and 18 by 24 inches has been found to be satisfactory, though other dimensions may be used.

The invention consists of a supporting base I,

a bottom slide board 2, top rail 4, side rails 5, 5,

and spindles 8.

Fig. 2 shows the four-sided spindle 8 and the square end tips or trunnions 9, 9, which allow the spindle, when installed between the rails 5, 5 to be rotated and to set level to expose any one of the four sides, each side bearing related lines of nursery rhymes, letters, numbers, figures, pictures, etc. The side rails 5, 5 are grooved on their opposed edges as indicated at 6, to hold the spindle tips 9, 9 in any desired relatively adjusted position to expose the selected pictorial or other educational material on the polygonal spindles to view.

Fig. 3 shows the supporting base I and an end view of one rail 5, the groove 5, part of a spindle 8, and spindle tip 9 in proper place in the groove. It will be seen that the spindle 8 rests high enough on the supporting base I to allow rotation when in place.

The device is operated as follows:

The bottom slide board 2 is pulled down to expose the notches 1. The spindles 8 are installed by inserting the spindle tips 9, 9 through the notches l, 1 into the rail grooves 6, and then sliding each spindle along the grooves toward the 2 top rail 4. When all spindles have been inserted, the bottom slide board 2 is pushed forward to close the notches 1, l and lock the spindles in place. When the user desires to rotate the spindles in order to expose the various sides, the bottom slide board is simply pulled down to engage its laterally projecting pins II with stop pins 3, 3 in the side rails 5, 5, and the spindles slightly separated by hand to give them center space to rotate. Stop pins 3 enter the grooves 6 and are inserted in position through suitably located apertures in the side rails 5 after the bottom slide board 2 is assembled in position relative to the side rails, as illustrated.

The bottom slide board 2 itself is secured between the rails 5, 5 by means of its slide pins H, H, H, II which operate in the rail grooves 5. The grooves 6, 6 are sufficiently wide to permit the rotation of squaredpins 9, 9 therein when the spindles are separated.

The slide board 2 may be either plain-surfaced or have a small blackboard 2a fitted to it.

The whole toy may be hung on a wall or be equipped with a separate table or other support having a vertical dowel pin on each corner to fit the holes l0, ID, It), It], in the side rails 5. Such an auxiliary table may be of any convenient design.

Round headed pins [2, I2 may be inserted through the outer sides of side rails 5, 5 into grooves 6, 6 so as to engage the ends of the lower pair of opposed pins I I, H and thereby sustain the slide board 2 in raised position when the device is hung on a wall, or otherwise positioned vertically. Other conventional means for accomplishing this purpose may be provided without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an educational device, the combination of a rectangular base, grooved rails along two opposite sides of the base, a plurality of spindles having reduced ends-positioned in the grooves of said rails for sliding and rotational movement therein, notches in the grooved rails for admitting the reduced ends of the spindles into the grooves in the rails, a fixed rail joining the grooved side rails at one end of the base, a movable member at the opposite end of the base having means slidable in the grooves of the side rails for maintaining said spindles in assembled position, and means on a said rail engaging said movable member for holding the same in adjusted position in said base.

2. The structure as set forth in claim 1, where- 3 in the spindles are fiat sided and have educational matter displayed thereon.

3. In an educational device, the combination of a, polygonal base, continuously grooved rails along two opposite sides of the base, a plurality of spindles having reduced ends positioned in the grooves of said rails for slidable and rotatable movement therein, other rails joining the grooved side rail at one end of the base, an adjustable member connecting the side rails at the other end of the base for maintaining said spindles in assembled position, and locking means on said rails engaging said adjustable member for selectively holding the same in contacting and spaced relation to said spindles.

4. The structure as set forth in claim 3 wherein said adjustable member includes a'blackboard and is provided at its opposite ends with projecting means slidably engaging the grooves of said rails.

, 5. A device for instructing and entertaining children or other elementary learners, comprising a rectangular base, opposed rail members disposed along two opposite sides of the base, said rail members each having a longitudinal groove on its inner surface extending continuously from end to end thereof, a plurality of spindles each having flat sides and opposed reduced squared ends respectively slidable in the grooves of the rails, said squared ends being rotatable in said grooves to positions of rest, thereby providing 7 for the showing of any desired side of any spindle and maintaining said desired side exposed to view, a bottom slide board movably mounted between said rail members for holding said spindles in adjusted assembled position on said rail members, and locking pins insertable into apertures in said rail members and engaging opposed ends of said slide board for selectively holding the latter in contacting and spaced relation to said spindles.

- '6. An educational and amusement device comprising a substantially flat rectangular base member having a fixed end rail and opposed side rails, each of the latter being provided on its 7 communicating with its associated groove, said notches being disposed at right angles to said grooves and in transversely aligned relation relative to said base member, a plurality of elongated spindles of square cross-section respectively provided at their opposite ends with projecting trunnions of reduced diameter and'also of square cross-section insertable' through said notches into said grooves, said spindle trunnions being independently rotatable and slidable in said grooves and said spindles extending between said side rails, the angularly disposed faces of said spindles having variable indicia thereon, and a movable slide board extending between said side rails and movably engageable at its opposite ends with said grooves at the opposite end of said base member, whereby said spindles may be independently rotated to expose desired indicia on their outer faces and thereafter held in assembled contacting relation on said base member by said movable slide board.

HENRY E. LOWE. HAROLD CAZIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

V UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 7 Name Date 262,221 Gould Aug. 8, 1882 422,612 Neuhaus Mar. 4, 1890 1,636,371 Kenney July 19, 1927 1,995,154 Morrison 1- Mar. 19, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS I Number Country Date 15,765 Great Britain 1890 33,210 Austria fl June 10, 1908 

